Cappadocia Guide: Balloons, Göreme, Underground Cities and When to Go

Cappadocia (Kapadokya in Turkish) is in the centre of Turkey, about 300 km south-east of Ankara and some 730 km from Istanbul. The heart of it, where you’ll spend most of your time, is a small triangle between the towns of Nevşehir, Avanos and Ürgüp, with the village of Göreme in the middle. It sits at around 1,000 to 1,200 m, which is why the nights are cool even in summer.

Millions of years ago, the volcanoes around the plateau buried it in thick layers of ash, which hardened into soft tuff capped in places by harder basalt. Erosion did the rest: where a hard cap protects the softer rock beneath, you get the mushroom-shaped fairy chimneys. The rock is easy to carve, so from the Byzantine period onwards, monks, farmers and villagers cut houses, dovecotes, chapels and monasteries straight into it.

The core area, Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985.

Göreme Open-Air Museum. A monastic settlement just outside Göreme village, where a cluster of rock-cut churches, chapels and refectories is decorated with Byzantine frescoes, most from the 10th to 12th centuries. The best-preserved paintings are in the Dark Church (Karanlık Kilise), which has its own small extra ticket and is worth every penny: with so little light getting in, its colours are still vivid. Don’t miss the Tokalı Church, just down the road and included in the ticket, with deep blue frescoes. Go at opening time or late in the afternoon to avoid the tour groups.

Zelve and Paşabağ. Zelve is an abandoned cave village spread over three valleys, lived in until the 1950s, when erosion made it unsafe. Nearby, Paşabağ (Monks Valley) has some of the most photographed fairy chimneys, several with two or three caps, one with a hermit’s cell carved into it.

Avanos. A riverside town on the Kızılırmak, Turkey’s longest river, famous for its pottery (see below), with cafés along the water.

Çavuşin and Ortahisar. Two old villages with rock castles: Çavuşin has an abandoned cliff village and one of the region’s oldest churches, and Ortahisar a rock fortress above lanes still used to store lemons and potatoes in cool caves.

Mustafapaşa. A quiet village south of Ürgüp, once mainly Greek, with fine stone mansions, carved doorways and small churches. A lovely place to stay or to wander for an hour.

Wine. Cappadocia has made wine since antiquity, and the volcanic soil around Ürgüp suits the local white grape, Emir. Several wineries offer tastings.

Horse riding, quad bikes and jeep safaris. Cappadocia’s name is often said to mean “land of beautiful horses”, and a sunset ride through the valleys is a wonderful way to see them. Jeep and quad trips reach the viewpoints quickly, if more noisily.

Beneath the villages of Cappadocia are dozens of underground cities, dug down through the soft rock, level after level, as places to hide from raiders. Their origins are ancient, but they were greatly expanded in the Byzantine period, when Christian communities sheltered in them with their animals and food for weeks at a time. Huge round stone doors could be rolled across the passages from inside, and ventilation shafts carried air to the deepest levels.

Derinkuyu is the deepest open to visitors: around eight levels are open, going down more than 50 m, past stables, wine presses, kitchens, wells, a chapel and a school. Kaymaklı, about 9 km to the north, is wider and has four levels open, with storerooms and narrow, steep tunnels. Most people visit one, and that’s enough.

Passages are low and narrow, so they’re not ideal for anyone claustrophobic or with knee or back problems. Go with a guide, who will bring the place to life and get you through the busiest sections quickly.

Uçhisar Castle is a great pinnacle of rock riddled with rooms and tunnels, the highest point in the area, rising above the village of the same name a few kilometres from Göreme. Climb the steps to the top for one of the best views in Cappadocia: Pigeon Valley, Göreme, the white cliffs of the valleys and, on a clear day, the snowy cone of Mount Erciyes far to the east.

The village around it is one of the most attractive places to stay, with restored stone and cave houses on the slopes below the castle and terraces looking out over the valleys. Sunset from Uçhisar is as good as sunrise from Göreme.

Testi kebab (pottery kebab) is the local speciality: meat and vegetables slow-cooked in a sealed clay pot, which is cracked open with a flourish at your table. Order it a few hours ahead in smaller restaurants.

From nearby Kayseri come mantı, tiny dumplings with yoghurt and chilli butter, and pastırma, air-dried spiced beef. Village restaurants serve gözleme, thin stuffed flatbreads cooked on a griddle, and big Turkish breakfasts of cheeses, olives, eggs, honey and fresh bread.

Try a glass of local wine with dinner. Vegetarians eat well, with plenty of mezze, lentil soup and stuffed vegetables.

Pottery to take home: the workshops of Avanos have been turning red river clay for generations. Watch a master potter at the wheel, try it yourself, or buy a hand-painted bowl.

By air from Istanbul: the easiest way. Domestic flights from both Istanbul airports take about 1 hour 20 minutes to Nevşehir Kapadokya airport, about 40 minutes’ drive from Göreme, or to Kayseri, about 1 hour 15 minutes away with more flights. We’ll arrange a private transfer to meet you.

From the UK: there are no regular direct flights, so most people fly to Istanbul (about 4 hours) and connect, or spend a few nights in Istanbul first. Istanbul and Cappadocia is the classic Turkey pairing.

By road: Istanbul to Cappadocia is about 730 km, a long day’s drive or an overnight bus of around 10 hours. From the Mediterranean coast at Antalya it’s around 8 hours, best broken in Konya, home of the Mevlana Museum and the whirling dervishes.

Cappadocia to Istanbul: the same flights in reverse, or continue by air to Izmir for Ephesus or to Antalya for the coast.

A cave hotel is part of the experience: rooms cut into the rock, cool in summer and cosy in winter, often with terraces for watching the balloons. Here’s how the bases compare:

Göreme is the heart of things, with the most choice and restaurants, the Open-Air Museum on the doorstep and balloons drifting right over the village. Lively, and busy with day visitors.

Uçhisar is quieter and more upmarket, with some of the most stylish cave hotels and the widest views. Ürgüp is a proper small town with good restaurants and wineries, and grand stone houses on the hill. Ortahisar and Mustafapaşa are peaceful villages with character, for a slower stay.

Tell us your style and we’ll match the right cave hotel; for balloon views, ask for a room with its own terrace.